John Deere Pledges Support to the Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund's Heirs'
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About This News Article
For almost a century, the number of Black farmers and Black-owned land steadily declined. One of the primary reasons for that decline was and continues to be heirs’ property. More than 60 percent of Black farmers currently operate on heirs’ property. Heirs’ property—land owned by two or more people, usually with a common ancestor who died without leaving a legal will—is the leading cause of involuntary land loss among Black farmers.
- Alliance members: $70.00
- Non-members: $100.00
The Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund
The Federation of Southern Cooperatives Land Assistance Fund provides resources to support the development of cooperatives, land retention, and economic development for Black landowners, and advocates for equitable policies and programs that benefit Black farmers, landowners and cooperatives.
The Federation of Southern Cooperatives/LAF Leads Research and Advocacy to Address Heirs Property and Eligibility to Participate in USDA Programs
Land is by far one of the greatest and most valuable assets African American farmers possess. The causes of under-utilization and loss of rural black land are numerous and complex, but none is more notable than heirs property.
Land Loss Trends Among Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers in the Black Belt Region From 1969 to 2018
The primary goal of this study was to better describe the impact of heirs' property on Black farm and land loss and recommend policies that could decelerate that loss and improve access to USDA programs for heirs' property owners.
National Conference Lifts Up Heirs Property Issues
More than 200 people attended the first National Heirs Property Conference in Atlanta, Georgia in December 2019. The conference was co-sponsored by the Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund.
Center for Heirs' Property Preservation
The Center for Heirs' Property Preservation supports historically-underserved families by providing direct legal services, legal education and assistance to protect heirs' property.
Heirs’ Property: What Land Trusts Need To Know
Join heirs’ property expert Diana Norris, Land Trust Alliance, as she discusses the cultural and historical context of heirs’ property and what land trusts can do to engage with landowners on conservation and support the stabilization of ownership in their own states.
Georgia Heirs Property Law Center
The Georgia Heirs Property Law Center provides legal resources, education, and support to property owners, nonprofits, and municipalities to resolve heirs' property and related issues.
Heirs' Property
A compilation of resources and research on heirs' property compiled by the Southern Rural Development Center at Mississippi State University.
Farmland Access Legal Toolkit for Heirs' Property
The Center for Agriculture and Food Systems Farmland Access Legal Toolkit for Heirs' Property is a comprehensive collection of heirs' property resources including issue background, legal, and organization providing direct assistants to heirs' property owners.
How Black Americans Were Robbed of Their Land
Over the course of the 20th century, black Americans have lost approximately 12 million acres of land. This mass land dispossession—a war waged by deed of title, which has affected 98 percent of black farmers—can only be called theft, says Atlantic writer Vann R. Newkirk II.